Ferndale woman found passed out in car charged with possession of marijuana

FERNDALE -- A Ferndale woman is charged with marijuana possession after police say they found her passed out in her car with the engine running in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven store.

Police said the woman also had a handgun and a permit to carry it which may be in jeopardy because of the marijuana charge.

The woman, Charte Henderson, 26, was arraigned Monday before Ferndale 43rd District Magistrate J. Patrick Brennan on a state misdemeanor charge of possessing 12 grams of marijuana. She was released on personal bond.

Advertisement

A condition of her bond prohibits her from using any alcohol or controlled substances.

The incident happened about 10:45 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot of the store at East Nine Mile and Hilton Roads.

"An officer on patrol saw her passed out in the car and knocked on the window," said Ferndale Police Sgt. Patrick Jones. "She opened her car door then quickly tried to close it after the officer saw some marijuana in plastic bags in the door pocket."

Police said Henderson had medical marijuana she claimed to have gotten from a friend in a black container in the door pocket along with some marijuana in plastic bags.

Police said they also found two grams of marijuana in Henderson's purse.

Henderson had a handgun in her jacket pocket, which police confiscated, and a permit to carry the weapon, Jones said.

"She told the officer she had a loaded .38-caliber gun and handed him her permit," he said.

Henderson told police that she wasn't feeling well and had stopped at the store to get some milk.

"She also said she had smoked some marijuana several hours earlier," Jones said.

Henderson faces up to 1 year in jail and a $2,000 fine if convicted of the charge against her.

She is scheduled for a pretrial hearing at 11 a.m. Jan. 17 in Ferndale District Court.